Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told explained

Da Game Is to Be Sold,
Not to Be Told
Type:studio
Artist:Snoop Dogg
Cover:Gameistobesold.jpg
Released:August 4, 1998
Recorded:1997–1998
Length:79:28
Prev Title:Tha Doggfather
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:No Limit Top Dogg
Next Year:1999

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told is the third studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (his first without Doggy in the middle of his name). It was released on August 4, 1998, by No Limit Records and Priority Records. It is his first album following his departure from Death Row Records in January 1998. It is the first Snoop Dogg album to have notable affiliates such as Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Warren G and others absent. It was also his first album to be released under a slight change to his stage name "Snoop Dogg" for contractual reasons.

Background

In September 1996, shortly before the release of Snoop's second album Tha Doggfather, his friend and label-mate at Death Row Records, Tupac Shakur, was murdered in a drive-by shooting that many fans and other rappers believed to be a part of rising tensions between the East and West Coast hip hop scenes.

In March 1997, noted East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G., popularly known as "Biggie Smalls", was also murdered in a drive-by shooting which was attributed by fans to the tensions between the coastal hip hop scenes.

Snoop Dogg began to fear for his own safety due to the murders of Tupac and Biggie and also because Death Row Records was acknowledged by its artists in retrospect to be an unprofessional place during this time, with label founder Suge Knight incarcerated and many people with criminal pasts associated with the label.

In 1997, No Limit rapper Mystikal invited Snoop to be on his record Unpredictable on a song called "Gangstas" with label head Master P.

Snoop developed a good relationship with the No Limit rappers, and after another guest appearance on No Limit artist Silkk the Shocker's LP, Snoop was reported to have been signed to No Limit by Master P in March 1998.[1] Snoop said at the time that "Snoop Dogg is universal so he can fit into any camp-especially a camp that knows how to handmake shit[;] [a]nd, No Limit hand makes material. They make material fittin' to the artist and they know what type of shit Snoop Dogg is supposed to be on. That's why it's so tight." [sic][2]

Singles

The lead single, "Still a G Thang," was released on July 3, 1998. It was produced by Meech Wells. It is the sequel to the 1992 hit single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", which appears on Dr. Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). The song debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking the first Hot 100 entry as lead artist by Snoop since "Gin and Juice," in 1994. The song peaked at number 19 on the chart.

The second single, "Woof," featuring Mystikal and Fiend peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception

The album featured mostly No Limit artists and was a departure from Snoop Dogg's first two albums which were strictly West Coast.Unlike his two previous two studio albums, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told received generally negative to moderate reviews with some noting it as one Snoop Dogg’s weaker albums.[3] Q gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "Dogg's vocals can actually verge on the sublime....in glorious slow motion, and the undercurrent vibe is distinctly soulful."[4]

The Source gave it 3.5 Mics out of 5, saying, "[f]ew MCs from the West have ever gotten as much acceptance and acclaim from outside regions... No Limit's latest soldier isn't trying to rock the boat with his third album... the vibrant vocalist is very happy to be with rap's top squad."[5]

Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, saying that Snoop's work lacked the confidence and originality displayed on his earlier albums.[6]

Music aggregator site Album Of The Year gives "Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told" an average critic score of 42 out of 100, ultimately placing it as the lowest critic-rated album of 1998 on the site.[7] [8]

Commercial performance

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 520,000 copies in its first week.[9] It is Snoop Dogg's third consecutive number-one album in the United States.[10] In its second week, the album remained at top on the Billboard 200, selling 246,000 copies.[11] The album spent five consecutive weeks on the top ten of the Billboard 200.[12] The album was certified 2× Platinum on October 22, 1998. On November 18, 1998, the album had sold 2.5 million copies in the United States, ranking as the 39th best-selling album of the year.[13] As of March 2008, the album had sold over 4.4 million copies in the United States, making it the second best-selling album by Snoop Dogg in the country, behind only Doggystyle (1993).[14]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Canadian R&B Albums (SoundScan)[15] 1
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[16] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)Position
US Billboard 200[17] 42
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 12

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Label Reports Signing Snoop Doggy Dogg. Strauss. Neil. 1998-03-14. The New York Times. 2019-01-10. en-US. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: Snoop Dogg. https://web.archive.org/web/19991007202651/http://www.nolimitrecords.com/snoopdog/snoop_bio.html. dead. 1999-10-07. 1999-10-07. 2019-09-01.
  3. Web site: Snoop Dogg's albums, ranked. Kyle. Anderson. EW.com.
  4. Review of Da Game is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, by Snoop Dogg . . December 1999 . 130 . Bauer Media Group . 0955-4955 . October 2, 2011.
  5. Review of Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, by Snoop Dogg . . September 1998 . 239 . New York . 1063-2085 . October 2, 2011.
  6. Snoop Dogg: Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told . DeCurtis . Anthony . October 14, 1998 . . RS 795 . 0035-791X . Straight Arrow . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071118004026/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/snoopdogg/albums/album/224374/review/6212119/da_game_is_to_be_sold_not_to_be_told . November 18, 2007.
  7. Web site: Snoop Dogg - Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told - Reviews - Album of The Year.
  8. Web site: The Best Albums of 1998 | Page 5 - Album of The Year.
  9. Da Chart Game Is Won . Eric . Boehlert . August 12, 1998 . . 0035-791X . Straight Arrow . October 2, 2011.
  10. Billboard magazine - August 22, 1998 . . August 22, 1998 . June 20, 2016.
  11. Eric . Boehlert . Snoop, Armageddon Dominate Again . Rolling Stone; Music News . 0035-791X . Straight Arrow . August 20, 1998 . April 24, 2008.
  12. Billboard 200: Week of September 19, 1998. Billboard.com. 3 August 2012.
  13. Billboard magazine - January 30, 1999 . . January 30, 1999 . October 5, 2018.
  14. Billboard Magazine Match 1, 2008 - pág 25 . 25 . . . July 28, 2015.
  15. News: August 13, 1998 . Top 10 R&B Albums . . D9 . Newspapers.com.
  16. Web site: Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company. .
  17. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. September 21, 2020.
  18. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. September 21, 2020.